Havana or Sarasota?

Sarasota is the better beach destination by some distance. Siesta Key's fine white quartz sand runs into calm, shallow Gulf water, Lido Key is minutes from downtown, and the quieter Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island give you more choice. The one catch is the occasional red tide.

In Havana, swimming is a day out rather than the point of the trip. The Malecón meets the sea with rock and a sea wall, and the white sand of Santa María del Mar and Guanabo is half an hour east by taxi, with simple shade and food stalls. Havana's advantage is that its sea stays warm in winter, when the Gulf off Sarasota is too cool for most people.

Neither city is worth travelling to for the food, and they fall short in different ways. Havana cooks a short list of Cuban staples, at their best in paladares set in old mansions and on rooftops in Vedado and Habana Vieja. Its real strength is in the glass: daiquiris, mojitos, aged rum and strong coffee.

Sarasota is more dependable and more ordinary. There are grouper sandwiches and stone crab at waterside fish shacks and polished dining rooms on Main Street and St Armands Circle. Its one surprise is the hearty Amish cooking and pie in Pinecraft.

Havana is a sightseeing city in its own right. It has the UNESCO old town with its four colonial squares, the Morro and La Cabaña fortresses across the harbour mouth, the domed Capitolio and whole streets of art deco in Centro and Vedado. The Bellas Artes collection and the Museo de la Revolución tell the national story.

Sarasota has one major site, the Ringling, with its Rubens canvases, the Ca' d'Zan mansion and the circus museum. Architecture enthusiasts can add the mid-century Sarasota School houses. A day or two covers it, and there is no old quarter to wander.

Havana's nights run later and louder. Old town bars pour rum until late, locals dance seriously in the salsa clubs of Vedado and Miramar, and on warm evenings the Malecón becomes an open-air meeting place. The scene is spread out, so expect taxis between neighbourhoods.

Sarasota winds down early, with wine bars on Main Street and sunset drinks at the beach bars of Siesta Key Village. The crowd is older and there is little dancing. For a big night out, people drive to Tampa or St Petersburg.

Sarasota has more to do outdoors close to town. Myakka River State Park, half an hour inland, has prairie, a canopy walk through the treetops and alligators on the riverbanks. On the coast you can kayak the mangrove tunnels off Lido Key and paddle a bay where dolphins and manatees are common.

Havana's outdoor life is mostly the walk along the Malecón and the shade of the Almendares river park. Real landscape starts at Las Terrazas, about an hour west, with forest trails and river pools, and the Viñales valley is a long journey further.

Day trips are easier from Sarasota, and you will already have the hire car to make them. St Petersburg and its Dalí Museum are about an hour north over the Sunshine Skyway. Beyond lie Ybor City in Tampa and the Greek sponge docks of Tarpon Springs, and the Edison and Ford winter estates at Fort Myers are a little over an hour south.

From Havana the short outings are Hemingway's Finca Vigía, Cojímar and the rumba town of Matanzas. Viñales, Trinidad and Cienfuegos are better as overnight stays, and with limited public transport most trips need a car with driver or a tour.

Sarasota is much the easier choice with children. The calm shallows off Siesta Key and Lido Key are ideal for small swimmers, the Mote aquarium has sharks, turtles and manatees, and rentals with pools are common. The main drawbacks are the summer heat and the lack of a theme park nearby.

Havana greets children warmly, and the National Aquarium, classic-car rides and the cannons at the fortresses go down well. But broken pavements, heavy heat and scarce baby supplies make it better for older children who are curious about music and history.

Havana is the easier city to see without a car. Habana Vieja is compact and walkable, and the Malecón links it to Centro and Vedado on foot. Beyond that, classic-car taxis, shared almendrones and coco-taxis cover the rest, with the fare agreed before you set off. The buses are hard work for visitors, and streets are uneven after dark.

Sarasota is built for driving. Downtown, St Armands Circle and Siesta Key Village are each pleasant to walk, and a free trolley runs along Siesta Key. Elsewhere the buses are slow and infrequent, so nearly everyone hires a car and sits in winter traffic on the bridges to the keys.

Sarasota has more ordinary browsing. You will find resort wear, jewellery and galleries around St Armands Circle, independent boutiques on Main Street and Palm Avenue, and a regional mall for the chain brands, though few people come for the shopping.

Havana has almost no fashion shops or department stores, but what it does sell is distinctive. Cigars, aged rum, coffee and work from the artists' studios of Habana Vieja and Vedado are the best buys, and the harbour craft market has guayabera shirts and woodwork.

Havana is the cheaper trip if you stay in casas particulares, many of which include a hearty breakfast, and spend your days on live music, shared taxis and simple meals. State hotels and the better paladares can push costs towards Southern European levels, and you will need plenty of cash.

Sarasota is expensive, especially on the keys from January to April. Eating out costs full US resort prices once tax and tips are added, and the hire car adds more. Coming in summer, staying on the mainland and using the free public beaches all bring the bill down.

Havana's music is the stronger draw because you meet it everywhere. Son, bolero and rumba play in old town bars and on street corners from midday, there are jazz clubs in Vedado and weekend rumba in the Callejón de Hamel, and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba dances at the Gran Teatro.

Sarasota's performing arts are formal and seasonal. There is opera in a restored 1920s theatre, a ballet company known for its Ashton repertoire, a full orchestra season and the Asolo Repertory Theatre, mostly between autumn and spring. These are evenings you book in advance rather than music you come across by chance.

Sarasota is the more restful place. There are spas on Longboat Key and Lido Key, yoga on the sand at sunrise, and the spring-fed pool at Warm Mineral Springs, about forty minutes south, stays warm all year. Winter traffic on the keys is the main thing that disturbs the calm.

Havana has few spas and no bathing tradition. Rest there means rocking chairs in a colonial courtyard and evenings by the sea wall, best enjoyed from a quiet guesthouse in Vedado or Miramar, away from the noise and exhaust fumes.